Thanks to Crystal Light for sponsoring this post. To learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight.



I have three young daughters.  I have a husband.  I have a house that needs cleaning, dogs that need feeding, and blogs that need reading.   I have bills that need paying, prayers that need praying, and games that need playing.

I am a busy, busy, gal.

And I also need time for me.  Without sacrificing the time I have alloted for everyone else in this house that needs me too.

It is a struggle every single day.  And, it seems, with every passing day, the struggle becomes more of a battle.  Yes, it is easier having all three daughters able to walk and play and to not have a baby attached all day long. But it is also harder.  There are more conflicts, less breaks, and always someone who needs a hug and a kiss.

And since we all know that none of my children find sleeping to be an activity they would like to thrive at, I feel I am “on call” twenty – four hours a day.  And in my exhaustion and constant need to be alert and ready, I fall by the wayside.  More than I am even willing to admit.

So, lately, I have decided that I need to start getting to know me again.  Just as my husband and I are coming out of the fog of three daughters in three years, a move, and many other stresses that have accompanied our lives, I need to come out of the fog of adjusting to all of these instant changes as well.

And remember what I love about me.

I am starting simple.  Making sure I take 5 minutes to sit in a quiet room once a day and read a chapter of a book, an article in a magazine, or just close my eyes and think and pray.  So far, I have found this five minutes to be rejuvenating!  Seriously!  I can not get over how nice it is to just s i t!

I take this time around noon, when the baby is napping and the other two are watching a show.  Usually a time when I would be blogging, doing the dishes, talking to a friend on the phone, or anything else that “needs to get done”.  Delaying my “to do” list to spend a few moments alone is not going to ruin my day, I have decided.   And, in fact, it might just save it.  

This simple little act has quietly reminded me that if I can not take care of myself I can not take care of my family.  And the longer I go, struggling to take care of them, without having time for myself, the more harried and unimportant I will become to me.

Hopefully, over time, I will be able to extend this time to 10 minutes, 15 and so on.  Maybe one day I’ll be able to lose myself in a book and not worry about what else I need to do or who else I need to tend to.   And then I will probably wish I did.

But for now, with everything I need to do, everyone I need to do for, and all of my daily responsibilities occupying my priority list, I’ll take my 5 minutes of peace.

And cherish the time that is all about me.

Remember, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight to learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors. I was selected and paid for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.